A former accountant has dodged prison after posting an advert for virgins on Craigslist.
Asif Kidia, 37, of Forest Gate, requested sexual services from “virgins” or “girls with no experience”, specifically stating “the younger the better” on the classified advertisements website.
City Police officers were first alerted to Kidia’s predatory movements when a 40-year-old female purporting to be a 15-year-old schoolgirl on Craigslist presented evidence to the force’s public protection unit.
The woman had engaged in conversation with Kidia, who attempted to arrange a meeting at the flat she “shared with her grandma”. In the correspondence Kidia stated he was 28.
Officers moved to arrest Kidia at Heathrow Airport on 23 August 2017 when he re-entered the country following a holiday with his wife and son.
Kidia originally lodged a not guilty plea to charges relating to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, and was due to stand trial on Thursday 7 June.
However, on the morning he was due to face the Old Bailey, he altered his plea and was given an 18-month sentence suspended for two years.
Honourable Judge Hillen told Kidia at sentencing he was “clearly in denial” about his offending due to his “late plea despite the overwhelming evidence” in the case.
Detective Inspector Anna Rice from the City of London Police said: “The City of London Police are committed to protecting young people both physically and online.
“We hope today’s sentencing proves how seriously we take these type of offences and deters others from committing similar acts.”
The former accountant will now lose his membership from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and will be placed on the sexual offenders register.
Kidia was also served with a sexual harm prevention order which prohibits him from talking to, or being in the presence of, any female under the age of 18 without supervision and from using any device capable of accessing the internet or storing digital images. Any breach of this order carries a sentence of up to five years imprisonment.
